


Mixing Together Never Seemed Better

by kxdlola120



Series: Café au! - Xiuchen :) [1]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-28
Updated: 2018-11-09
Packaged: 2019-04-13 20:51:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14120565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kxdlola120/pseuds/kxdlola120
Summary: Their relationship has always been a contest to see who was better at their job.But then something happens, and Minseok realizes that differences do blend.





	1. Chapter 1

"Bossman! I have an idea for our new coffee!"

Junmyeon turns around to face him, taking off glasses perched up on his nose. "Really, Seok? Tell me about it."

Minseok sits down across from him, patting down his already perfectly ironed shirt tucked in dress pants, and swishes his tongue across his teeth. He's so got this!

"I'm sorry, but no." Junmyeon says, turning back to reading the documents displayed on his desk, not even giving him enough time to explain the idea better. Okay, maybe he doesn't have it.

Minseok's face falls, as he barely sustains from wailing loudly. "But why? I think it would be perfect! Our business needs to put out something new, and I've been thinking about this brew for so long—"

"I don't want to poison anybody with the ingredients." Junmyeon deadpans, like it's the most obvious thing, and Minseok's ready even for that option. But it wouldn't come to that, of course. 'The customer's always right,' Junmyeon's annoying voice comes to his mind briefly as the man himself deducts his suggestion once again.

"But avocado and syrup could go perfect together. Just last night, I was watching this program—"

"Do you really want to put avocado and turmeric in coffee?" His boss raises both of his eyebrows and Minseok realizes his mistake.

So he slowly tucks his bottom lip out, blinking cutely and looks up through his lashes. "But Myun~~"

Junmyeon takes off his glasses once again, tilting his head in a exasperated sigh. "Seok, you're older than me." He reprimands.

Minseok inhales slowly, closes his eyes and curses Junmyeon in his head. "I heard that!" Okay, maybe not in his head, but he still tries not to pounce on the man right away. 

"Fine! You don't have to be the best in the business." He stands up, moving the chair for the guests right to the desk in front, tucking it under a bit. He fixes his collar and then his styled hair, standing tall and proud. "You can be mediocre after all. I don't have a problem with that."

Junmyeon's silent for a second, before dropping his glasses down. He messages both fists in his tired eyes, looking up with a scowl. "Is this about Sehun's café across the street again?"

"No," Minseok shrugs, rolling his eyes.

"About that barista, Jongdae, then?"

This has Minseok recoiling a bit into himself, as he scoffs, shaking his head without meeting Junmyeon's eyes. 

"Minseok!"

"...Maybe.."

Junmyeon huffs out once again, gesturing with his hand for Minseok to leave his office. "I don't have time for this," He says loud, but whispers next. "And every single day, too." 

Minseok turns on his heel, and walks out, promptly shutting the door in Junmyeon's face. Well, not really his face since his office is not a small room where only their boss is seated, but the notion is there nonetheless.

"Minseok!" Somebody calls for him, and the blond-haired barista is already on his way to the register, tying the apron with the café's logo around his waist. 

"I'm here, I'm here." Minseok yells for their main pâtissier to go back to his own job, as he stands in front of the counter with a pleasant, and totally practiced smile, asking, "Welcome to Exodus! What do you prefer to marvel your taste buds for today?"

But the smile he finds when he looks up, isn't one of those polite ones of their customers. Instead the smile gets tucked in the corners of plump cheeks, thin lips getting lost in the width, already aiming for his disdain. 

"Oh, I like that. I might use that sometimes."

Minseok huffs out at the voice that speaks up at the other side of the counter, and ticks numbers in his head, 'till he reaches ten. By the time he counts back to zero, the voice is speaking again. 

"What are your specialties on this beautiful day?" 

Minseok rolls his eyes and in the flattest voice adds. "You can see it on the board above my head."

The man whose voice can be matched with nails raking over the blackboard, nods in thought, looking over their heads to check the list. And sure enough, there's two rows on each side, one for some new coffee blends that they just started to make and the second to that one is a list of their most bought and tastiest pastry. 

Kyungsoo takes a great pride in the second list, and even has Yixing's help each day when the waiter draws tiny pictures of the cakes on the menu, each next to its rightful name, before hanging it on the wall. 

So that's why Minseok doesn't have to remember each specialty every day, because a thing or two can change each day. But that's exactly why the curly smile appears again, and the owner of it says smirking. 

"Can you name them all? I didn't bring my glasses with me." 

Minseok tucks his bottom lip between two perfect rows of teeth, and turns around to read it. But the curly smile stops him, asking if he can list it while looking him dead in the eye. And Minseok really looks dead, as he reads it out loud for the customer to hear, nodding when he finishes. But it's not really a customer, since Jongdae is a barista like himself. A damn good one, that is.

"Ah, such a diligent worker," The smirk is back, the eyes shining, in match with the teasing glint already spilling into the next words. "But I think I just want one brownie today."

Minseok blinks. "That's not on the specialty list. It's literally the blandest thing on the menu."

The man shrugs, taking out the exact amount of money out of his back pocket, on purpose. He's not leaving a tip, once again, and Minseok swallows the insult when he turns around to pick the chocolate brownie from the tray displayed on a glass shelf. Kyungsoo doesn't slave all day in the kitchen to have only his brownies sold. 

Besides, Jongdae's café literally sells the sweets that he can enjoy as much as he liked, since both their bosses allow their workers eating the goods.

Minseok packs one piece in a brown, paper bag, already typing the code for the pastry in the cash register, waiting to hear that ping of his order going through. When he takes the bag to push it into the customer's hands, Jongdae surprises him with grabbing at his wrist all of a sudden, pulling him until their noses are touching. 

The man takes one look between his eyes, that are now bulged out, similar to Kyungsoo's, and says finally. "You smell of cakes again. Are you eating on your work, too?"

And then he moves away, paying for the brownie, and Minseok watches as he leaves without a tip. Great, he did it again. He made him flustered and deep in thought, and Jongdae's swaying of his hips doesn't help with Minseok's rage.

When somebody moves behind him, poking his shoulder blade since the next customer stood in the line, Minseok turns on Yixing's voice calling his name. 

"Huh?"

"I said, you're daydreaming again." The man gestures the lady to the first available table at the front, before going back to Minseok's side. "One Americano, please. She says she doesn't have a sweet tooth." Yixing grumbles. And Kyungsoo's just finished another batch of peach tart with honey and black pepper. He needs to grab a piece while it's still hot.

Minseok nods and gets down to preparing the drink, when he feels someone's still watching him. When he turns, Yixing's leaning on the counter now, both arms overlapped over his chest. There's that annoying smirk on the taller male.

"What?"

He's wearing that knowing smile when he finally asks. "You're awfully dazed... Is it Dae again?"

Minseok throws a paper cup in his face. 

 

☕☕☕

 

Kyungsoo works the register once again, and he huffs out when the customer says how his coffee is not that sweet, and how she doesn't intend to pay for such monstrosity. "For the last time, Ma'am, but you literally have five types of sugar, cream and milk right behind you. It's for you to use it!"

Junmyeon appears at the right time, moving his worker away from the counter, as the lady in front threatens to sue both him and the café for trying to kill her with his sour coffee. Like Kyungsoo's that untaught.

"Here," Junmyeon picks the sugar for them to use while adding to sweets and coffee blends, and mixes it in the cup Kyungsoo's already made. "It's on the house! We're sorry for the inconvenience." The lady picks the cup from the counter, turning around to leave, all the while sending a nasty scowl Kyungsoo's way.

"And don't come back!" Kyungsoo yells after her, until his view of the entrance door is blocked by their boss nonetheless. 

"Kyung, how many times have we talked about this?" Junmyeon looks around, seeing only Chanyeol, their other waiter, running around the café, hurrying to take as many orders as he can. The tallest of them all likes to compete with Yixing in how many orders they can remember without a pad, and in one walk around the café, too. Yixing, surprisingly, has been beating him for over four months now, but Chanyeol still tries. 

Junmyeon huffs—their competition is something he's got to take care of later—and turns to face their main pâtissier, asking. "And why are you alone?"

Kyungsoo tucks both lips in his mouth, shaking his head.

"You don't know, or don't want to tell me?"

Kyungsoo shakes his head again. 

Junmyeon inhales, calling for his waiter to come by, ruining Chanyeol's concentration. "Great, hyung! Now I don't remember even those two orders," Chanyeol grumbles when he comes by the counter, and casually leans over it. 

This is a somehow slow day, only the locals getting by for their usual fix of coffee drinks, and it's no wonder Kyungsoo doesn't need to be locked up in the kitchen to work on pastries. The batch from this morning is still warm on platters in a glass display. 

"What's up, boss?" Chanyeol has this habit of chewing gum really loud, and Kyungsoo smacks him upside down for the slobbery mess he makes around his lips. "Aw, Kyung!!"

"Do you know where Minseok is?" Junmyeon asks instead, and that shuts him up. 

When even Chanyeol stops talking, Junmyeon crosses his arms, realizing that they're trying to hide something. "Chanyeol?" He repeats, but the taller isn't the toughest to break. He has a way with each of his workers.

"Yes, boss?"

"I asked you something."

Chanyeol straightens up, scratching behind his ear. "You did?" He's tense all of a sudden, and when Junmyeon looks at Kyungsoo again, the man is sending daggers in Chanyeol's direction, motioning to shut up or else.

And then something clicks. 

"Unbelievable." Junmyeon huffs out, turning around to leave this part of the kitchen, and exits the café, ignoring Kyungsoo's calls to come back. 

When he crosses the street—on the unmarked part of the roadway, because he's that done with everything, especially this quarrel between their two main baristas—he enters the café on the exact opposite side of his own, and turns to the guests mingling in the spacious part of the local. 

"How can I help—oh, Myeon hyung, what are you doing here?" Junmyeon turns when the café waiter comes by to take his order, and looks up when Baekhyun stands before him. 

"Have you seen Minseok?"

Baekhyun scratches his ear, much like Chanyeol did, and looks around confused. "Minnie-hyung? No, I haven't." Both of them look around the room, trying to find their mutual friend, before Baekhyun turns to the counter. "Hey, Dae, have you seen your boyfriend today?"

Junmyeon looks up to see a smiling Jongdae saying bye to one of their customers, when the man looks up to see what's the commotion. "Minseok? No, I haven't." He answers, totally not fazed by the title of which Baekhyun has called his archenemy. 

But not really, because he loves to disturb Minseok while he works, and the elder loves to get mad at him. They've been going on at each other for a while now, and even though Jongdae's place of work have been opened shorter than Minseok's, they still compare their success 'till this day. 

"See, hyung." Baekhyun turns to Junmyeon after getting an answer. "He's not here."

But just as Junmyeon turns around to leave, there's a boisterous voice booming through the small café. "I'm not your boyfriend!!"

Junmyeon turns again, finding his own employee in the back of the café, wearing a grey trench coat, like those detective in old spy movies, with a matching fedora on top of his head, and even some sunglasses underneath. Where did he get those, Junmyeon doesn't even want to think about. And to make things worse, his own apron is still tucked around his waist, dragging under the short coat; his own café's name proudly written underneath.

Minseok stands up from the tucked corner, and walks to the counter, ignoring his boss that has already sighed out many, many times. 

"You wish I was," 

Jongdae leans on the counter on both hands, tilting his head to the side. "Oh, honey, it's only a matter of time."

Minseok looks appalled at the proposition that he could ever fall for the younger male, and takes off his glasses to glare. "Take that back!!"

Jongdae smirks at the tantrum, and lowers his voice. "..Or what?"

Junmyeon jumps in just in time to pull the enraged Minseok from climbing over the counter, probably in the need to finally strangle Jongdae dead. He pulls the trashing male out of the café, and over the street, trying to miss the cars coming their ways. 

Baekhyun follows them out, tucking the tray behind his back as he waves with the other hand, saying, "Say hi to Chanyeol for me!"

"Hi, Baek!" Junmyeon looks back to see his other waiter standing at the entrance of his own café, waving at his boyfriend from the threshold, as Kyungsoo steps over to help Junmyeon with the still pissed off Minseok. 

"Hyung, again with the spying?" Kyungsoo asks when Minseok glares across the street, stopping to huff out in front of the café and rearrange his coat. It is well known that Minseok likes to spy on the barista across the street, since he wants to know what Jongdae has up his sleeve for the new coffee blends. And no, not to steal his ideas or anything. Just pure keeping-an-eye on his opponent. Totally healthy.

"I hate him!" Minseok seethes, and by now everyone from both of the cafés are trying to see what's the commotion about. 

Junmyeon tries to calm down his own customers, when Baekhyun re-enters his work of place smiling. Kyungsoo goes back behind the counter, because Minseok's not in the place to work anything now. This is like a regular thing for all of them, to be honest.

Even Chanyeol's going back inside, and Junmyeon looks at a few customers leaving both cafés, grumbling about the poor service. Then, he sighs out once again, feeling light-headed all of a sudden, when he says, "Sehun's gonna kill me."

 

☕☕☕

 

It's another beautiful day in the capital city. There's no traffic bustling the streets with noise, and the evening is calm enough for a nice walk by the Han river if you wished to. The Sun has settled down, but the air is still warm, not too hot and just enough to bring only light jacket to keep you toasty. The trees are starting to shed their green leaves in favor of putting on thick yellow coats over, and some of the birds that were left behind are still chirping, welcoming Fall with their—

—But Minseok doesn't get to hear it, because he screams at another fail that's smeared all over his kitchen, mocking him for even trying. He's been mixing ingredients for the past three hours, and none of the coffee blends up until the last one didn't explode when he mixed it up. 

To be honest, neither tasted good either, but this last drink is like a punch in the face. 

He collects the brown powder and even couple of charcoaled pieces of ingredients he doesn't even remember of putting in, and dusts it off the counter into a trash bin. The residue is still there, like someone smeared wet dirt all over the once pristine looking counter, but he so doesn't have strength to clean it properly.

He's been going through the same process for a while—even he doesn't know how long—and the competition between him and Jongdae is taking a toll on him. Hell, even Jongdae himself doesn't see it like they're competing for anything, certanly not for who's better at the job, but Minseok still wants to be the best. 

But it's too damn hard when coffee making and new tastes come so easily to his arch nemesis. 

It's already half past one in the morning, and the weariness is getting the best of him. His eyelids droop, and on his way to the bathroom Minseok catches a glimpse of his reflection in the hall mirror. His dead eyes stare right back, and Minseok barely recognizes himself.

It's no wonder why people avoided his cash register today, back at the café, when he looks like those yellow leaves coating trees outside of his apartment building - worn out and ready to crumb away. 

Plus, his budget for the week is practically nonexistent by now, since he used the money to buy all the ingredients that could—have, if you asked him—make a good cup of coffee, and he hasn't eaten anything since breakfast this morning, which he was force-fed by Kyungsoo. 

Minseok showers on auto-pilot, using his shower gel to wash his hair by mistake, and continues with the task even when he realizes it. The gel takes a bit longer to wash away, and he can't help but grumble each time when he has to raise his hands above his head to rake fingers through the wet strands. He's so tired.

Once dried and in his comfiest jammies, Minseok rolls over his still made bed, and kicks at the duvet from under, until he can tuck his legs underneath. He has to wake up in about six hours, which is enough time for his grown body to relax. 

And when he closes his eyes, the sigh that leaves his body is the first good sign that he's already forgetting about previous mistakes, and that the recipe for the perfect new coffee blend doesn't bother him. For now, at least.

But just as he tucks one hand under his pillow, and brings one leg over the other, his phone beeps from the nightstand. Minseok curses again, since he has to roll over to the other side to grab it, and once you find a perfect position, it's tough to acquire it for the second time too. 

From: Kyung-bun  
Whatever you do, don't   
go online!!

Minseok blinks at the bright lighting, and rereads the message once again. 

Weird, he thinks. Why would he visit his social media at this hour of the night? 

... But then, why wouldn't he?

Minseok backs up the bed, until his back is on the headboard, and scrolls his phone until he stops at the social media accounts all lined up alphabetically in one folder titled 'Meh'. 

It's like Kyungsoo's watching him contemplating what to do, because the next message beeps in.

From: Kyung-bun  
You'd be mad at me!   
And then at Jun, and then   
at me again!   
Don't! Do! It!

Minseok closes the message and presses his SNS account. As soon as his profile loads in, he sees one message in the inbox, which turns out to be one more warning from Kyungsoo. 

He laughs at the persistence, and scrolls down to see what's so urgent that got his friend so worked up. So far, nothing comes up, and Minseok yawns and moves back down to lay. 

But then something about newest brew catches his eye, and he scrolls back up. It's on Sehun's profile, and he's following the tall noodle as well, even though Sehun's not his boss. Sehun likes to put up pictures of his dog Vivi constantly, which Minseok loves to look at. Plus he's married to his own boss, so it's only natural to follow his account too.

But not now! 

Minseok starts reading from the beginning, and sleep evaporates from his eyes like he wasn't tired in the first place. His jaw settles on the second line, and he's seconds away from throwing his phone across the room. 

Hun_Kim94  
Great news from our café Universe!! Our talented barista @chenmachine just created this explosion of taste for your taste buds! It's got the perfect mix of our most known drinks but this time with something special that you have to try to believe it! Come by the café Universe and see- taste for yourself! You won't be wrong! #thanksDae #smallstepforhumanity #butbigfortheUniverse

 

☕☕☕

 

The morning starts as usual for Junmyeon. He wakes up with the love of his life next to his side, soundly asleep and drooling over their new bedding. Then he proceeds to shower, again with the love of his life, since Sehun always uses the opportunity to ogle at his husband, especially wet and naked. Plus, he uses the excuse how they're actually saving the Planet by saving up water with showering together, and Junmyeon's too smitten to say no. 

They make breakfast together, sharing bits of food, since Sehun doesn't like bacon from his omelet and Junmyeon isn't a fan of lettuce that Sehun likes to put in, but they still don't make two separate meals for each. 

So after their morning routine, Junmyeon drives them off to work, parking at the same spot each day, as both of them walk hand in hand. Until reaching their respective cafés, where Junmyeon pulls Sehun close to leave a lingering kiss on his thin, pink lips.

"'Gonna miss you," Sehun comments, brushing the hair from Junmyeon's forehead. He's in a need of a haircut, and Sehun reminds him once again. 

"'Gonna miss you more!"

Sehun shakes his head, hugging him around his neck. "Not a chance. I'm gonna—"

"Oh for the love of God! Just miss each other in silence!" Kyungsoo's head pops out from the corner, before his body moves to get beside them and walk to the entrance door, waiting for Junmyeon to unlock it. Junmyeon and Sehun share a laugh at the grumpiness. 

"Once he finds love—"

But Junmyeon finishes it off. "It's over for you, bitches."

Sehun laughs out loud, kissing his husband once again, before crossing the road to his own café. Junmyeon watches him go, smiling happily when Sehun waves before entering. When he turns around, he's just in time to see one of his baristas walking down the street, and smiles when Minseok's close enough.

"Hello, lovely day we have—"

He start to say, but Minseok slaps him across his cheek instead. 

 

☕☕☕

 

"You're fired!"

Sehun looks up from where he's holding a bag of frozen ice cream over Junmyeon's cheek, and his jaw drops when he sees who said it. 

"Kyungsoo!" Junmyeon hisses when the bag moves and some popsicle scratches his already tender skin. It doesn't hurt that much, since Minseok's practically a corpse walking, but Sehun's taking care of him, all worried for his well-being, and Junmyeon enjoys it too much.

"I'm sorry Myeon, but he assaulted you." Kyungsoo states the obvious, sitting on the farthest from the scene, having both arms over his chest. He's glaring so badly at Minseok, who hasn't said a word ever since they announced their impromptu meeting. 

"That's enough," Junmyeon says to Kyungsoo, but pushes the bag out of his face. It's slowly starting to melt, and the cold water is sliding down his neck, and into his shirt. "Minseok, what happened?" He turns to their barista, and slowly asks. 

Sehun stands up to take the bag back to the freezer, and dials someone on his way over. 

"He made it! He made it, not me." Minseok grumbles at the table top, not even looking up. The fact that he slapped their boss hasn't really settled in. Junmyeon lets him have his moment. They've been friends longer than coworkers, and Junmyeon has seen worse.

"Who made it?" Sehun asks instead of anyone else, and Minseok whispers 'Chen machine' softly. When they realize what's behind it, Sehun shares a worried look with Junmyeon.

"Okay, then this is not a good time for this, so—"

But the doors of their café being opened brings back everyone, and just in time, Sehun's employees walk in. Everybody except the mentioned machine.

"What's up, baby!" Baekhyun yells after waving at the only married couple, and drops down in Chanyeol's lap when the tallest rolls his chair from underneath the table. They're all seated in Junmyeon's slash Kyungsoo's office, since the onyx-haired male is the manager of the place. It's still early for both cafés to be opened, so they use the opportunity to bring them all together for a talk. 

There's someone new behind him, and Kyungsoo looks up when a boy shuffles in all scared and awkward, bowing respectively. 

"My name is Kim Jongin. Take good care of me—"

"Oh, Jongin, just get in here." Luhan yells after entering behind him, and sits down next to Yixing. "And hello there honey-bun." He turns and puts on a sleazy smile.

Yixing splutters at that, and playfully hits Luhan's arm when the elder starts laughing, wiggling his eyebrows. Nobody understands their relationship.

Jongin shuffles on his feet again, before Sehun gestures him to just sit down. He looks around the room, before slowly moves to sit down beside Kyungsoo, who looks like a deer caught in the highlights.

"Jongin here, is our new pâtissier in training." Sehun explains, and the staff of Exodus all say hello, smiling comfortingly. Jongin blushes when they start introducing—Junmyeon having to introduce Minseok and Kyungsoo, weirdly, since they both stay mum—and bows down once again. 

"Nice to meet you all!"

Kyungsoo clears his throat, and dazedly utters 'Cute!' only for Junmyeon to hear. 

They settle down once again, and Junmyeon feels up his cheek, hating for having to do this in front of people that Minseok doesn't work with. Sure, they all know each other, some of which are dating, or going to date—he looks at the way Kyungsoo keeps stealing glances of Jongin—but it's still not the same as scolding him when they're alone. 

He just wishes he could do it before the last worker of Sehun's café shows up.

"I know you didn't mean to do it, and I'm here if you wanna talk about whatever's bothering you." Junmyeon pats Minseok's shaking shoulder, when the older looks up.

"What's happening?"

But they don't get to finish, because the doors burst out open once again, and hold and behold, the source of Minseok's nightmare appears. 

"Hello bitches~!" Jongdae starts singing well known song from CL, and even blasts the air guitar as he even sings the rhythm that follows the words of the song.

Junmyeon starts to stand up, but Minseok doesn't move.

Everybody in the room is aware of the uneasiness when it comes to their star baristas, and the contest that comes easily when their personalities crash. Even confused Jongin notices the change in the atmosphere, when Jongdae stops singing, looking around the room.

"What?" He asks, still smiling, and then looks at Minseok whose eye only twitches in annoyance.

The man himself whispers something under his breath, but nobody catches it.

"Minseok?" Junmyeon asks, but stands up when there's this dark glint in his eyes, like he's devouring Jongdae with his eyes only. And the still standing barista cowers.

"You're a dead man!"

Jongdae blinks. "Me?" He points to himself, and swallows down when Minseok stands up, moving to where he's standing. 

A couple of them try to stand up, just in case, but Minseok just pushes past Jongdae, colliding their shoulders harshly, and leaves the room with a snap of the door. 

"Well.. this went well," Sehun says after a couple of moments of nothing but their breathing, and turns to his husband. "Shall we tell them now?"

"Tell us what?" Sehun's waiter, Baekhyun asks first, and the husbands nod without a word uttered.

It's ridiculous they haven't done this earlier, but considering that their cafés had existed even before Sehun and Junmyeon got married, it's early for this as ever. Their cafés are what brought them together, too. Plus, the idea is too good to pass. So that's why they scream in glee-

"We're merging."

"And expanding!" Junmyeon finishes, and all of their employees stop to stare.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Luhan asks, turning to see whether Yixing's understood. The man only shakes his head.

Sehun takes Junmyeon's hand in his own, and finally smiles. "This was something that we've been planning for over a year now."

"And we're finally happy— well.." Junmyeon drawls out, since his waiter just left the building, but Sehun nudges him to continue. "We bought this empty space down the street, and is big enough for all of us to work there—"

"Wait a second," Kyungsoo stops him and asks. He seems concerned. "Does this mean you are firing someone?"

"What?" His own boss answers. "Where did you get that idea? No, of course not!"

Sehun buts in. "What Jun's trying to say is that we're merging our two cafés, and making it into this one, big café with all of the workers just like now. The coffee and sweets stay the same too. Basically, we're taking the best of both worlds and turning it to one perfect café. Capiche?" 

Junmyeon nods beside him, finally smiling at the idea. "The best of both cafés are all of you, Kyungsoo." 

Kyungsoo nods, and leans back in the chair, somehow relieved. But then this means that he's going to work with both Chanyeol and Baekhyun under one roof, and he's been living with the couple for a while now. And Luhan's going to be all lovey-dovey with Yixing all the time, and there's this feud between Minseok and Jongdae, and... Jongin! Jongin is going to be side by side with him, since their jobs are practically the same. Fuck!

"But wait..." Yixing stops the conversation that develops over the turn of the events, and how good this ought to be. They all look at his worried face, and fall into silence when he says, "Minseok won't like this..."

 

☕☕☕

 

"I already hate it!" 

Kyungsoo huffs out, pulling his coworker by his arm deeper into the new place. "Enter first, Seok!"

Minseok grumbles again, moving only past the threshold, before he crosses both arms, and sniffs the air. "It stinks."

"It's only the paint drying and— could you please just walk around?" Kyungsoo walks around the newly bought tables, still covered with industrial plastic. "Feel the place, think wider—"

"Nah, I quit."

"Are you really?" They both twirl around when there's a new voice coming through the doors. It's Jongdae, aka Minseok's nemesis, and by default his face contours in a scowl. "I would actually like to see that."

"Jongdae!" Kyungsoo warns, because he can see Minseok's vein almost popping out from his forehead.

"I'm just saying," Jongdae walks around Minseok, seizing him down with sharp eyes. "I can see myself becoming a star in this place," He nods as he walks around the counter that's not nailed down into the floor, and leans over the marbled top. "Making my new brews with a smile, as girls and guys admire me for my body and grace.. Saluting me each day, just because of my uniqueness and talent... They would cheer my name, coming back because of my coffee, and nothing would be better than—"

"That's it." Minseok stomps over to the counter, stopping on the other side. "I'm staying!" Jongdae smirks, curling his smile the way Minseok's blood boils, and taps his knuckles on the top. 

"Ah, that means I'm going to have to share the spotlight—"

"And I'm winning this!!" Minseok's out of the door before any of them could say anything back, and Kyungsoo looks at Jongdae when he starts laughing.

"What's funny? He just threatened you.." Kyungsoo asks, and Jongdae walks around to reach one of the tables. 

"Ah, did he now?" Kyungsoo nods. "Or was that reverse psychology."

"... What are you...?"

"You see, Kyung, he can't stand to lose to me, and that's why I said all of that. So now, he wants to stay, and 'beat me'. Like he's not already in love with me." He air quotes the word beat, and Kyungsoo scratches his head. 

"You two are so weird,"

Jongdae laughs, going around to the back to check out the place some more. "Ah, Minnie is too cute for words."

 

☕☕☕

 

After almost a month and a half, the new merged café is opened. Sehun makes it a grand gesture, finding a big red string to put in front of the door, and pushes Junmyeon to pick up the scissors to cut it open. 

They all cheer and celebrate, and the first one to walk in are the newest merged bosses. 

"I always wanted to work with you," Sehun curls around Junmyeon's arm, purring when the man kisses his crown. 

"And now we get to do it!" 

Their workers enter too, all stopping to admire the newly decorated interior. Both Sehun and Junmyeon has been working on getting everything done for their big opening, and they even put out all over the social media how the first hundred coffees are on the house. 

The space isn't dusty anymore, and all that plastic is removed, leaving the café in a new light from the soft artifical lights tucked in all the corners. The furniture's following the notion for both comfort and homey look, and they could see both of their bosses indulged in the overall feel of the space.

Since all of them have come to work, their shifts are already decided, and Sehun laughs when he reads the division between couples and people that like to work together. They all had a saying in shifts, apparently. That's how all the morning shifts for this week are on Baekhyun and Chanyeol, as Luhan and Yixing take the second. 

Kyungsoo's on the kitchen duty once again, and he's joined by Sehun's new pâtissier Jongin, who was hired just three months ago, when their old one graduated college and moved back home. 

This leaves their baristas, Minseok and Jongdae, who's got to work side by side, since they're short on the staff at the moment. They could be working each shift each, but bosses decided to make them work along for a while, since this new café's bigger and could tend to a lot more people than their individual, old ones. 

Plus it could be beneficial for the business if the two baristas could find a way to work together, and finally overcome their differences. 

The assigned workers each take their aprons with a new logo of their café, cursive letters reading EXO above a small pouch for pads and pencils. 

Sehun and Junmyeon both decided on the name, since Sehun always liked Exodus more than his own café's name. And like that - EXO is born. 

 

☕☕☕

 

"My back is killing me," Baekhyun grumbles on his way into the kitchen, dropping down on the couch in the area for rest. "There's so many customers, I can barely manage it all!"

Kyungsoo looks up from where he's watching the new batch of cookies baking in the oven, and moves to the couch to assist his coworker. "Where's Chanyeol?"

"He's still running around. He even took my section for a while, so I can rest." Baekhyun smiles and follows Kyungsoo's eyes onto his new protégé. 

Jongin's on the other side of the kitchen, mixing ingredients in a big bowl, measuring sugar and flour on a massive kitchen scale. 

"How's he holding up?" Kyungsoo turns to Baekhyun's side when he asks, and then looks up to where Jongin's counting under his breath. He smiles.

"He's doing fine, I guess. Hasn't burned down my kitchen, like that time when Chanyeol was ambitious about becoming a pastry chef. So 's good."

Baekhyun smiles the knowing smile when Kyungsoo's cheeks flame a pink hue on Jongin almost spilling the bowl from his hands. He doesn't seem as pissed as he used to be, and Baekhyun's glad for Jongin.

"Well, I'll leave you to it," He stops massaging his stiff neck, and stands up to leave. "I can't let my man slave for too long. Bye Jongin!" Baekhyun waves at the busy worker, and laughs when Jongin waves back, all flustered for being caught dipping his finger in the fresh dough to try it. 

Kyungsoo goes back to work too, and takes out the batch from the oven. 

"Can I smear the icing?" Jongin asks in a high-pitched, excited voice, and stands closer to take the tray from his hands. 

Kyungsoo gives it with a small smile, watching as Jongin pokes his tongue out between thick lips as he works on getting the blue icing on perfectly, humming as he does it. And that smile that threatens to spill over his lips only remind him how warm Jongin makes him feel. 

But the oven's still on, so maybe that's where the heat comes from. 

 

☕☕☕

 

"Welcome to—

"Welcome to EXO—"

They say at the same time, and Jongdae turns to Minseok, politely gesturing to him to take the next customer. 

"No, you do it," There's a stiff, feigned smile on Minseok's lips, as he gestures back. 

"I insists."

"Please, it would be my pleasure—"

The customer clears her throat, and both baristas look up to meet her raised brows. "I want to try that new coffee, if you have it."

Minseok's vein starts popping out when he remembers which coffee she's wanting, and bites down a remark. "Coming right up."

Jongdae follows him to the side where a coffee-making section is, and looks over his shoulder. "Do you know how to make it?"

If he doesn't kill him by the end of the day— scratch that, by the end of this minute, Minseok would consider him lucky. 

"I don't actually. It was too plain to learn it."

Jongdae bites at the corner of his lips, but smiles nonetheless. "Well, then let me show you."

He works fast, Minseok notes as he watches him pouring everything in a mixer. He's quick on his feet too, because he grabs things that Minseok would walk to get. And the ingredients that go in are measured by hand by Jongdae, and Minseok actually admires him for a brief moment. 

"Here you go," He smiles as he walks back to the counter, pushing the paper cup on the top, already typing in the code for the drink. "That would be 7000 won."

The lady even leaves a tip when she pays, and Jongdae assists one other customer before he turns to where Minseok's still standing. 

"Don't." 

"Don't what?" Jongdae parrots, raising his eyebrows. His lips smile naturally, Minseok notes, and clears his throat when they smirk when Jongdae catches him staring. 

"Don't ask me whether I have learned your recipe."

Jongdae smiles, and leans on the counter. "But it's easy. Really."

"It's easy, really," Minseok mocks him in a high-pitched voice as he works on another order, and glances at Jongdae once again. He's working with precision once again, like truly knowing what he's doing—which he probably does—and Minseok feels a tinge of something foreign in his chest. 

Once done with the customer, Minseok hurries to the kitchen when Jongdae turns to speak as they wait, and bursts through the door. 

Jongin drops the spatula from his hand, and even burns himself on the hot oven, and Kyungsoo merely looks up, too accustomed to Minseok's outbursts. 

"Are you okay?" He does bring Jongin's hand to the cold water, holding his finger under the spray. There's this deadly-cute pout on his lips, and Kyungsoo looks away when Minseok calls for him.

"Kyungsoo, I was just working with Dae—"

"Dae?" Kyungsoo smirks, toweling the hurt finger, asking Jongin if he's okay. 

"Not the point!" Minseok grumbles, but curses himself mentally on a slip of a tongue. "But we've been working, and he was showing me this new recipe—"

"Oh, that one that Jongdae-hyung invented?" Jongin asks from the couch where Kyungsoo pushes him to sit down and tend to his finger. The older walks back to the freezer, and takes a bag of something frozen for Jongin to put on as a compressor. 

"Again, not the point!"

"Don't yell at my assistant," Kyungsoo corrects, and Jongin gasps. "Am I really your assistant?" The younger is really too cute for words, Kyungsoo briefly thinks.

"Focus on me, please!!" Minseok yells when they share awkward glances after Kyungsoo nods to Jongin's question. 

"Right, sorry."

"As I was saying, we were working together, and I actually... admired... him.." Minseok stops after each word, like contemplating whether his behavior is normal.

Kyungsoo only smiles and moves back to his work. "Maybe you're finally realizing that you like him, and that those feelings of hatred are actually masked feelings of fondness." Jongin nods at his hyung's explaining, and Minseok looks appalled. 

"I thought I was jealous, not in love!" He defends. 

But Kyungsoo's quick to correct. "Hyung, you might be having a crush,"

Minseok pales, and stops breathing.

"And on Jongdae-hyung of all people." Jongin finishes and snickers, making Kyungsoo giggle out loud. But they hear a thud behind and when they turn around, they think that Minseok's left the building, hurt and in denial.

But Kyungsoo doesn't expect to find the man laying on the floor, having fainted from such accusations. 

 

☕☕☕

 

"Thank you all for coming. It's my pleasure to finally welcome you in our new instalment. My husband and I are both diligent workers, and nothing could be possible without Sehun by my side." The said male cocks his head to the side, totally enamored with their co-boss. "And without my colleagues who are here tonight, looking dapper in their fancy clothes." Junmyeon raises his glass at the smiling males, all of their faces filled with joy.

"Not wanting to be a party pooper—" Junmyeon laughs along his husband who scoffs, "I wish you all a good night, and don't drink too much! To EXO!"

They all salute to the success of the café, and the party can start.

It was Sehun's idea to invite their friends and families to the party of formally opening up their new café, and the married couple even supported their coworkers to invite whoever they wanted to. 

That resulted in a party for over hundred people currently mingling and dancing on the make shift dance floor in the middle of the café. Tables had been pushed to the sides before the party started, and Kyungsoo and Jongin have been slaving in the kitchen for desserts and even some salty snacks, until both were happy with the amount of food they could present. 

Junmyeon walks to his husband's side, linking his hands around his waist, as Sehun molds to his front, already grasping at the fine hairs of his nape in return. "Happy anniversary, honey."

Sehun gasps when Junmyeon pulls out two tickets for a vacation to some foreign country he hasn't even heard of, and kisses the life out of him. 

Baekhyun and Chanyeol watch from the side, smiling while they move to the rhythm. "That could be us in a couple of years," Baekhyun comments offhandedly, looking back up to his boyfriend's eyes. 

"That will be us!" Chanyeol nuzzles into his hair line, just bellow his ear, and blows a kiss when Baekhyun giggles how it tickles. "And much sooner than couple of years..."

"What?" Baekhyun sobers up, moving to look him in the eye, and Chanyeol only kisses at his cheek, twirling him around. 

Kyungsoo moves to pour himself a drink, before somebody stops next to him. "Make that a double."

He looks up to see Minseok dressed in a suit almost, with only a jacket missing, and smiles when he pours in the alcohol. "Aren't you glad Jun and Sehun didn't serve us only coffee."

Minseok hums when Kyungsoo hands him the drink, and down the whole glass in one gulp. 

"Whoa, calm down, my friend." His coworker sips at the strong liquor, wiping at the corner of his lips with back of his hand. "What's gotten your mood so sour?"

Minseok turns to the table to pour himself another shot, but this time sips on it just for a taste. "I don't feel like partying."

Kyungsoo follows his eyes as they get lost somewhere in the crowd, and sucks his both lips when he catches Jongdae dancing with some girl. She's hanging from his arm as he bends her over, and moves up to twirl around. He seems happy. The opposite of Minseok, that is. And Minseok is witnessing it all.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

Minseok downs the whole glass bottoms up, once again, and pushes it behind on the table, without looking away from the scene on the dance floor. "What's there to talk about? I hate the man's gut."

Kyungsoo sighs out; he's too delusional.

But Minseok continues talking. "And then I might admire a tiny piece of him, too."

This grabs Kyungsoo's attention quicker than you could say the oven is on fire, and he pulls Minseok in a half hug. "Only a tiny piece?"

"Shut up!" Minseok finally smiles, before breaking in a full blown grin, and swats at Kyungsoo to push him off. 

"Hyung," They both turn at the voice, finding a nervous Jongin shifting on both feet. "Would you like to dance with me?"

He looks Kyungsoo straight in the eyes, and the onyx-haired man pulls his hand away from Minseok. Before answering him, Kyungsoo turns to his friend and asks if it's okay even without words. 

Minseok smiles softly, watching the ball of nerves Jongin must be at the moment, and pushes Kyungsoo into the younger's awaiting hands. "Go! Have fun you two!"

Kyungsoo smiles wider, like his grin could circulate around his head if it wasn't for his ears, and takes Jongin's hand to take him to the dance floor. 

Reaching the final point of breaking, Minseok pours his drink again, this time making it really double, and sneaks out through the back door, walking through the kitchen until he reaches the little patio where two chairs lay. Baekhyun had an idea to bring out two spare chairs outside, in the little alley that overlooks the main street, if somebody wishes to catch a breather when the weather is nice. They still need to prepare and take care of the empty space where a nice patio could be made, but this will work for now.

Now that he thinks about it, Minseok's glad for it, to be honest. 

He sits down on the further one, leaning back on the backrest, and stops to breathe in. There's something about the bustling city life that seems to happen outside his little bubble. There's little to no lights in here, and he sips at his drink for a while, just enjoying the silence. 

His eyes catch the door being opened from the inside, and when he lowers his glass down from his lips, Jongdae exits and plops down on the other free chair. "What are you doing out here, all alone?" He asks, and Minseok wonders for a moment how did he know where to find him.

Minseok still takes a deep gulp of alcohol, and doesn't even feel the sting when he looks at his coworker. "Thinking."

There's a drink in Jongdae's hand too, and he sips it before asking. "Thinking? About what?" There's this furrow with slightly raised brows above his eyes, Minseok notices, when the drink moves down after swallowing, and he stops looking when Jongdae licks his lips clean. 

"What do you want, Jongdae?" It shouldn't have come out as annoyed sigh, but it did and Minseok doesn't want to correct himself. 

But it takes a little more than that to derate the ever so smiling Jongdae. "Okay, you don't wanna talk."

They sit in silence for god knows how long. The only thing that Minseok knows is that Jongdae has this lovely glow around his face when he faces the artificial lights coming from the main street, and that his eyes soak up all the sprinkled colors when he blinks.

"Are we cool?" Jongdae suddenly asks, turning just in time to catch Minseok staring at him. But he quickly jerks and sips at the drink once again. Since they've working together for a while now, Jongdae wonders about the anomosity that used to be between them.

"I guess," Minseok admits, albeit begrudgingly, and looks at the city lights once again. 

Jongdae smiles to himself, lowering his head down to slosh the remaining of his drink, and says without looking up. "I was actually inspired by you for my famous brew."

That catches Minseok off guard, but it's all too fast when Jongdae clicks their glasses together, and escapes in through the door. 

 

☕☕☕

 

After that faithful night of the party, their baristas somehow learned how to work together. Minseok even learns how to prepare Jongdae's brew, and Jongdae praises his work the first time he makes it, even adding how he's much more skilled than he is. 

Even their coworkers notice the difference, but neither dares to say anything, knowing that a teased Minseok could be set back even more than the hostile state they had when Minseok still hated Jongdae. 

There are hidden glances that neither Minseok or Jongdae notice the other one is making, and Sehun's been stopped more than once by his husband from preparing them a wedding ceremony right there in their café. 

They're too obvious, and even delusional Jongin has noticed.

That's why Junmyeon gives in when his husband asks if they could throw a party in their flat for their first successful quarter. And that's why the Saturday evening finds each worker in their bosses' flat, admiring the sculptures Junmyeon has all over the living room. 

"What is this?" Jongin elbows Kyungsoo when they stop at the second one in a row, and raises a brow when the shorter starts tilting his head for a better look. 

"It looks like... like..." He stumbles over his words, because how could he say that?!

"Like a cock, right?" But Jongin doesn't have a problem with saying it for what it is, after all.

"Jongin!" Kyungsoo reddens when Jongin starts laughing, nodding to confirm it. 

"It does, doesn't it."

Kyungsoo looks up, too ashamed of having to talk about this with Jongin, since their relationship hasn't come to that stage just yet. 

But Baekhyun laughs behind them, and slaps Chanyeol's arm just in time to stop beside them. "Look at this, Yeol. They're really in love with dicks."

All four of them laugh out loud that, and the tension is lifted off easily. 

Minseok's last to the party, since he's gotten almost lost on his way here, but he brings two bottles of fine wine, and Sehun forgives him for being late.

"Minseok, hi." He greets everyone, until Jongdae stops next to him, and asks where's he been.

"I was kinda lost," It's stupid to admit, since he's amongst elders in their little group, but Jongdae doesn't laugh. 

"I was too!" They share a laugh at that, and it's back to awkward once again. 

It's not like they still hate each other—more like Minseok doesn't hate Jongdae anymore, since it was never the other way around—but they still don't know how to breach that first step of friendship that ough to happen and acquaintances they used to be.

Plus, all those unfiltered feelings are hard to swallow.

Minseok sees Kyungsoo and thinks about moving to talk to him instead, but then he sees Jongin curling his arm around Kyungsoo's shoulders, bringing the shorter closer in to his neck, and stops from doing so. 

"Minseok?"

"Yes?" He turns to Jongdae, asking what's up, and just as the younger starts to say something, Sehun invites everyone to sit down for dinner. 

"I didn't know we're eating as well," Luhan laughs when Yixing admits shyly, and stops to sit next to him when Yixing finally picks a seat. 

They all settle down around the table - Junmyeon sitting at the head of the table, with Sehun on his right. Next to his husband are Baekhyun and Chanyeol, followed by Minseok, who tries to sit down furthest from Jongdae, but the fellow barista sits next to him, at the other head of the table. Kyungsoo and Jongin sit next in line, with Luhan and Yixing on Junmyeon's left, and they all wait for their hosts to say something. 

"Ah, I'm gonna cry if I speak, so let's just dig in!" Junmyeon laughs and starts handing out the meals for their guests to take. 

The dinner seems as it was a good idea, because there's constant talk among each of the colleagues. Junmyeon can't help but feel grateful for having such a good team of friends and coworkers, without whom this merge of two cafés couldn't be possible. 

Sehun takes his hand from the table and squeezes it when his husband starts getting that wet glint in his eyes. "I'm so proud of you, baby. Of us!"

Junmyeon kisses the back of his hand, leaving a short but sweet 'I love you,' on the skin. 

Kyungsoo suddenly moves to stop everyone from talking and takes Jongin's hand in his own. The younger doesn't stop him, but instead smiles and blushes into his own glass of wine, taking a sip.

"As you might know.. there were some sparks between Jongin and me..."

"We already know you two are dating!" Luhan yells from the other side, stopping his practiced speech for ever seeing the light of day. And Kyungsoo actually exhales, since it was really cheesy. 

"You do?" Jongin asks, dumbfounded, and Sehun answers him. 

"We all saw you two smooching in the kitchen, like two weeks ago."

Jongin gasps. "And you kept quiet for that long?"

They all laugh when Kyungsoo says fuck it, and bends down to kiss Jongin on the lips. This makes the younger splutter out, before he kisses his boyfriend again, giddy for not having to keep it a secret anymore.

"So everybody at this table is in a relationship." Junmyeon comments, making all three known couples look at their significant other. 

"This must be the gayest café ever," Luhan comments, cheering to everyone when they laugh. 

"Wait, are you two together as well?" Baekhyun asks Luhan and Yixing, and the younger of them two blushes and looks down at his plate.

But Luhan's not the shy one, after all. "We' fucking. But it's just a matter of time."

"Luhan!!!" Yixing slaps his fuck-buddy on the arm, and blushes even deeper.

But the heat is off of them when Chanyeol—dumbly—points out. "Wait, what about Minseok and Jongdae?"

They all stop and stare at the quiet duo of baristas on the other end of the table, and the awkward tension has been lifted of off them, but only to spread around the room instead. 

"We.. are just friends.." Minseok comments offhandedly, and continues to eat. 

They all watch when Jongdae looks at him from the head of the table, and actually blinks down to his plate. He looks hurt all of a sudden, judging by the sucked corner of his lips, and Sehun's almost out of the chair to talk to him. But his husband stops him, and mutters 'leave them be' only for Sehun to hear. 

The laughter is still not making a comeback, only sound of the silverware clinking against the plates, as they continue eating in silence. But it doesn't last for too long, when Baekhyun cracks a joke and everyone starts laughing once again. He was always the one who couldn't take awkward silences, after all. 

But the end of the table is still quiet, only eating and glancing up to each other. 

 

☕☕☕

 

"Why couldn't you add tomato, though?"

Jongdae's too focused on the task to brew the mix with the hand grinder, as he's explained earlier how the new ingredients needed time to get used to each other first. His tongue pokes out as he slowly mixes everything together, thinking what to add next, and how to explain it to Minseok, who's standing next to him, watching.

"Do you really wish to drink tomato or any other vegetable in your morning coffee?"

Minseok scratches at his head, thinking it through with pursued lips. "Why not? I think it might be cool, though."

Jongdae adds a little bit of cocoa powder to the mix, and starts grinding again. 

"What about ketchup then?"

Jongdae starts laughing at his persistent self, and stops to stare at him. "That's your problem when it comes to coffee, Min."

Minseok lets the nickname pass, and focuses on the first part of the sentence. "And why is that?"

"You're thinking too much." Jongdae wipes his hands at the apron and moves to the coffee mixer for a mechanic part of the job. "You have the skill and the knowledge of the coffee, but you don't listen to beans to tell you their story."

Minseok stops to watch as he swiftly moves around the kitchen, adding something else when he decides the mix is missing a bit of grinded mint, and turns the machine on again. 

"You're thinking about the impossible brew, when the coffee doesn't need anything extravagant to work. It's just coffee, and it's enough as it is."

Jongdae turns the knob to pour the boiled water over the mix, as a bit of powder explodes over the rim and gushes into his face. Jongdae inhales it, and smiles when the aroma is just right. 

"It has a taste of itself, the divine taste that just needs to be enhanced with something special each time. That's why we have so many different tastes when it comes to different blends, but the plain coffee still tastes the best."

The drink is almost done, Jongdae adding a bit of cream over the top, reaching over for a toothpick to draw something on the foam that doesn't drown. 

"People get bored of plain, same old same old, but they forget what made them fall in love in the first place." There's this soft smile on his lips, and Minseok actually doesn't remember how he used to smirk whenever their paths collided. 

"You don't fall in love with all those layers that make both humans and coffee. You start from something small, like the way someone smiles, or like how the coffee is bitter on the first sip. Then you notice other things, like the sweetness and the tanginess that lingers even when you take another sip." Jongdae works around the cream, making the swirls with a toothpick, but Minseok doesn't look down from his face. It's like he's not talking only about coffee, and Minseok's interested to hear it. 

He's already thinking in his head.

"It's same when it comes to people. They could be mean to you, or grumpy all the time, but the bottom line is that they were good first, and only added layers as time went by. Maybe that was a way to shield from the world, or maybe they needed a safety net when their heart got beaten down once again."

He pushes the drink onto the saucer, and turns away from it. "So that's why coffee is the same as people, because it doesn't need to have each flavor of the world. A person doesn't have to be talented with dozen different talents, and bright and beautiful every single minute, or happy all the time, all in one. One could be beautiful and stunning just like that, while being their true self."

Minseok blinks. Jongdae smiles.

"Because it's perfect just like that, when coffee beans are all by themselves, with nothing else messing up their taste." He looks down at the cup steaming from the counter, and smiles as he finishes. "The uniqueness they have is all that matters, simple because they're gorgeous just as it is."

When he looks up, Minseok takes just enough time to blink, before he moves closer and crashes their lips in a firm kiss, spilling everything he couldn't say. Especially to his archenemy. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

☕Epilogue☕

 

"Hi, what are you specialties for the day?"

Jongdae smiles at the customer, like he's been doing for years now, and lists all the cakes and pastries, even the coffee he knows by heart, without having to raise his finger to point at the board that signs all they could offer.

The customer nods as he explains, and asks next, "Can I have your best plate of Songpyeon, and one cup of Minchen, please?"

"Coming right up!" Minseok yells from behind, already mixing the ingredients in a metal cup, pouring the water over it next. He adds just a sprinkle of macadamia nuts grinded too, and he moves to give it to Baekhyun who waits to pick the order and bring it to the customer's table. 

"Minchen coffee is getting really popular." Minseok leans on the counter when the woman sips her coffee, and closes her eyes at the rich taste that must exploded in her mouth. It's thick with simple, yet amazing flavor, and Minseok's proud once again.

Jongdae smiles at the other, and stands next to him. "It's because it has Min in the name," He's cheeky when Minseok turns to face him, and his face splits in a grin too. 

"But it has Chen in it, too."

Jongdae takes his hand in his own, without having to look away from his eyes, and licks at his lips. "That too.. Best of both worlds, right?"

Minseok looks at the empty row in front of the counter, before smiling as Jongdae starts leaning in. "It has a bit of me, and a bit of you.." He hums when Jongdae breathes out on his lips, catching them almost in a kiss. 

"Yeah, we finally created the perfect blend." Finally, he leans in all the way, kissing Minseok's lips like he wanted to do ever since he got his good-morning kiss from the man himself when they woke up in the same bed this morning. And Minseok smiles into the kiss, like he knows Jongdae loves him to. 

 

"Hey, no smooching on the job!" Baekhyun comes back and slaps the counter with his rag, but neither of them register it. He leaves them be, after ogling for a second, and goes to the kitchen, only to find Kyungsoo pressed against the fridge, with Jongin licking into his mouth. 

Scared for life—a lot of hormonal teens around here, it appears—Baekhyun mentally prepares to spill the beans about their indecent behavior to both bosses, before Chanyeol stops him just as he rounds the corner. "Hey there, baby." When the taller leans down to kiss him, Baekhyun forgets about ever wanting to visit the main office, and kisses back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I want to call our next drink Minnie buns, just because of your ass."

"Jongdae!!"


	2. Bonus! :3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens to friends and coworkers after the original story! :)

**If you want to read the bonus part - you can do it[here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16569596) :)**

 

**Thank you! xox**

**Author's Note:**

> This' been in my drafts folder for so long!  
> Hope you liked it!  
> Love you, xox


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